Tick Tock
by GojiCandle
Summary: No matter how much it seems otherwise, Soulmates are called soulmates for a reason. At least, that's what Ritsu always believed. Until high-school that is. -A shameless fluff-fest Soulmate Au, so sue me.
1. Prologue

Prologue

* * *

Ritsu was five when her timer ran out.

It wasn't anything special it was simply when her watch reached zero... Okay so it was supposed to be the biggest event of one's life that may be a _little_ special. To meet a soulmate is to meet one's other half. One half of a whole, that was split at the beginning of time for transgressions long passed. But time is not that cruel, and thus mankind was gifted with watches that count down every year, month, week, day, hour and second until you meet your soulmate.

The thing about timers is however, The only person who's supposed to know how much time is left is the wearer. Why? Because Only the owner can see the numbers on their timer. Of course, you could _tell_ people how much time is left, and generally people do tell who is closest to them. That doesn't mean you generally did to anyone of course, as it was highly personal.

 _Well what about the people that aren't old enough to know what numbers are let alone how to count them?_ People are probably already asking. The exception is, Those under five with a timer beeps, aloud for all to hear. Once you reach five however, that safety net is gone... All the better to teach numbers early, and how important the timer is.

As previously stated, Ritsu's ran out at five. She was pretty excited, more for her birthday party than for her soulmate given she didn't really understand the concept perfectly well. All she knew was that it was important. It happened at her birthday party in fact, which was about two days after her birthday… day.

So, the just-turned-five year old Ritsu decided to have her party at an ice skating arena, with a few other kids from her daycare. Nobody she was particularly friends with but nobody she could say she disliked. She was having the time of her life really, and with the knowledge that her timer was going down she checked it occasionally but didn't think too much of it. It was important was it not? She was going to _know_ when she saw her soulmate.

The reality of the situation is you're generally supposed to glance down at the timer every few seconds to make sure you get it right, because missing your soulmate is probably one of the biggest fears one could have. Alongside not ever having a soulmate and just seeing zeros dot the watch. (That was rare but has happened).

Now the question remained, Was Ritsu thinking about the proper tactic of finding her soulmate or was she thinking about getting her damn balance right after her fiftieth fall? It… It was a pretty simple guess as to what had her attention.

She did have a blast though, despite how crowded the place was. She inevitably bumped into a couple of people including a frizzy brunette girl, and also that red haired boy that was invited to her party all of which was met with enthusiastic apologies from the young birthday girl. She almost hit a third raven haired girl who had her back turned but she narrowly stopped in time as she fumbled her way over to the side of the rink.

Soon enough however it was time to go home. The cake had been eaten, the presents delivered and the energy was spent. And it was only in the car on the way home that Ritsu realised, glanced down at her watch and froze.

It was nothing but _zeros_.

Horror overcame her, she started to panic, screaming, crying and carrying on, much to the confusion of her parents (whom she had _not_ told the exact details about her timer.) To them it was quite out of the ordinary. She seemed to have really enjoyed her party, what was so bad that it was causing her to break down right now? However when she through tears finally got the message across did her Mother and Father understand the severity of what just happened.

However in vain it was, they turned the car around anyway and rushed back into the ice arena. Now that peak hour was done there were significantly less people. Most people had already left. To summarise, things were looking bleak.

When they arrived home it was silent, dry tears coated Ritsu's face because even at five she knew somehow she messed up big time. Her parents attempts at comforting helped a little however. She was told that because she wasn't approached it was highly likely that her soulmate had _not_ seen her, which gave her hope. It was the only thing that she could cling to as she lay awake that night, wondering if the boy she was likely to marry would ever find her.

-0-

It was barely two months later when Ritsu first met her best friend Mio Akiyama. She started a new school, and being the extrovert she was, she was excited to make new friends. But they hadn't even made it to introductions yet when a quiet girl at the back squeaked very loudly and got everyone's attention. People were still entering class at the moment this young girl, who was blushing heavily barely managed to stutter out.

"M-My timer's up."

The class stood still for a moment, and then exploded in chaos, everyone double checking their timers to make sure theirs was up asking her questions at such a rapid pace the young girl simply withdrew into herself, the teacher quickly tried to calm the disorder however.

"Okay everybody settle down, Let me take this form here!" There was silence almost immediately, Everyone had some kind of inkling that this was a big deal and listened without complaint.

"Now, do you know who you saw?" The teacher asked the young girl who almost tearfully shook her head. She didn't seem to like the attention.

"I.. I umm, I was nervous about meeting them, so, so I.. I wasn't looking at it as much as I should and I.. I uh.. I entered class and looked down and it was up." She stuttered out. Ritsu was expecting one of the other kids to call out at any moment.

"Has anyones timer run out?" The teacher asked and looked around the class. Ritsu was half tempted to spit out a bitter 'yes' at the question, She didn't want to make the situation confusing however given it wasn't her.

"It must have been someone in the hallway…" The teacher trailed off and the sudden fear on the girl's face resonated with a part of Ritsu. _She knew that feeling_. And all of a sudden she was determined to find this girls soulmate. The teacher also seemed to notice this distress as he re-positioned his glasses quickly.

"It's okay, we'll find them, I'll get word out to the teachers to ask around and we'll find your soulmate." He assured her.

"T-Thank you." She muttered gratefully.

"For now though I think we should get class started" He reasoned as he turned to the rest of the class. The class began to start shortly, beginning with an introduction to the school and the teacher himself. Ritsu made sure to sit next to the girl as the teacher begun.

"Hey" she whispered, "I'm Ritsu Tainaka" She continued. The girl was quick to withdraw but she still answered.

"I'm, M-Mio Akiyama." She whispered back.

"My timers out too." Ritsu thrust out her watch, even though she wouldn't be able to see the numbers.

"T-then, are you?-" She began to ask but Ritsu cut her off.

"Oh no mine ran out years ago, I'm going to help you find your soulmate!" She responded cheerfully almost catching the teacher's attention as she raised her voice slightly.

"Okay… Thank you." Mio responded, Ritsu could see that even if she was shy, she was appreciative of her support.

In fact, they spent the whole day walking around and getting people's attention looking for her soulmate, much to the distress of the raven haired girl. Unfortunately however, they found no-one, and the teachers weren't much help either. It seems that none of the students were her soulmates. Mio was distraught. But much like her parents did to her, She comforted Mio.

"Hey, You have no need to worry Mio, it must be one of the older siblings or something" She suggested, not going with the less likely but funnier theory that was it was one of the _parents_.

"Thats easy for you to say, you've _found_ your soulmate" She replied… A little bitter if Ritsu was catching that right, which was the only other emotion she'd shown so far besides shy and withdrawn. There was also the reply that she had to set straight.

"Oh… Uh, I never found him." She responded a little downtrodden. She forgot to mention that little detail.

"You… Didn't?" Mio questioned. Ritsu shrugged and tried to play it off.

"I was careless, It's okay though i'm sure they'll find me!" She said with an enthusiastic thumbs up. Mio just looked into her eyes curiously and after a moment of watching her seemed to find an answer in there. Ritsu got a little flustered at the bold stare the normally shy girl was giving her but still kept her smile somehow.

"I'm sure they'll find you too." She finally replied.

The two spent the rest of the week planning how to find her soulmate, Nothing ever came from it of course, but at the end of the day they had become best friends very quickly, one that lasted until high school before it changed.

It was at five that Ritsu's and Mio's timers ran out… It was when they were seventeen that they figured it out.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

* * *

"Sorry I'm late" Yui breathed heavily as she entered the club room.

"Disappointing but not unexpected." Azusa chastised from the table where she was standing. Ritsu gave a halfhearted snort from her seat, it was not like Mio had arrived yet, and Mugi could not make it today due to a dentist appointment so it's not like she was missing anything.

"You don't understand Azunyan, It's a very long journey from our class to here isn't it Ricchan?" Yui attempted to defend herself. The girl in question however sighed in mild amusement as she gave her answer.

"I made it here on time, not to mention the reason you're late is because you were lamenting over the fact Mugi wouldn't be bringing tea or snacks." Ritsu deadpanned, image of the melodramatic Yui at the end of class pictured in her mind.

"Ricchaaan" Yui moaned as Asuza's disappointment intensified. Ritsu had to say they were the most... Unique versions of soulmates she's ever seen, definitely falling on the 'opposites attract' end of the scale.

"You need to show up earlier Yui, Besides, this club isn't the 'sweets' club." Azusa lectured.

"I know that! after all, I don't need a sweets club when I have you!" Yui chirped back

There was momentary silence as Azusa didn't know what to say in return and Ritsu raised her eyebrows at the statement, moderately impressed. In the silence Yui continued as if nothing happened and jumped on her girlfriend mumbling her nickname and giving her some 'Yui Affection' ™.

"J-just be more punctual." Azusa said trying to keep some semblance of composure. Ritsu smiled and leaned back on her chair, Idly fidgeting with her own timer as the other two eventually sat down at the table making some small talk. Ritsu's thoughts eventually wandered towards her own soulmate. She knew they existed, but who that was remained a mystery. She'd all but given up on finding them herself, If she was going to ever unite with her soulmate unfortunately she would have to be found.

Especially considering it could pretty much be anyone, Guy, Girl, she was cool with either, but right now she had an issue with that, someone who happened to catch her eye was her best friend, figuratively and literally. Mio entered the room and made eye contact with Ritsu who was still daydreaming. Yes the drummer had a thing for the bassist, a massive thing at that, in fact it had lasted so long and was so strong by now the depths of her affection for her best friend went well beyond the eloquent description of 'a thing'.

"Ritsu?" Mio called for a third time as the girl in question shook herself from her reverie.

"Y-Yeah what was that?" Ritsu attempted to hide her embarrassment by stretching.

"I said you left this in the classroom." Mio handed over her phone, she must have forgot to put it in her bag.

"Oh, Yeah thanks a heap Mio, I probably wouldn't have noticed until it was way to late." Ritsu replied in relief. Mio just shook her head smiling as she took her seat on the other opposite side to Ritsu, She directed her attention to the other two members present.

"So, What are we going to do today? Given Mugi isn't here." Mio posed the question tot he room. Azusa lit up but didn't get to make the suggestion as Yui was already speaking.

"I was thinking we could go to a café and have cake and tea there! I-in memory of Mugi of course" Yui suggested.

"She isn't dead! And we're not the cake and tea club! I was thinking-" Azusa tried in vein to steer the topic to the elusive 'practice' she's encountered maybe once in this club without procrastination and complaining beforehand. However she was cut off.

"Yes we always do cake and tea, How about we go and get a burger or something, Go to dinner, that'd be fun!" Ritsu recommended, Of course she was just teasing Azusa who was getting more frustrated by now.

"Okay but after the burger we all go get desert!" Yui continued.

"And who do you think will be paying your share Yui you've used your allowance!" Azusa snapped at her girlfriend. Yui pouted.

"But Azunyan when do we ever get to go out with our friends like this!" Yui moaned, and it was true, they spent a lot of time together but that mostly consisted of school, the club and occasional day ventures. The last time all of them actually ate out at dinner would have been on their school trip. Azusa seemed to realize this as well.

"Well... Not often but what about Mugi? We can't leave her out of something like this." Mio asked, this was also true.

"I can text her now, See if she wants to come after her check up. She doesn't need to... wait twelve hours or something after that right?" Ritsu inquired.

"No I think it's only half an hour, but where should we eat?" Azusa asked before realizing not only that she had been distracted from veering the conversation back on topic but she was contributing to said distraction as well.

"A-after we practice of course! We have time before dinner after all..." Azusa corrected herself.

"That's true we should practice, but we should decide on a place beforehand though so people don't get distracted" She assisted eyeing Yui and Ritsu.

Needless to say they spent the next hour and a half deciding, bickering and mucking around getting a grand total of zero minutes practice.

-0-

Meeting up at the local restaurant was simple enough. yes, after all that time deciding they chose a local place that probably wasn't even the best around, but at least it wasn't McDonald's. Mugi, to say the least, was overjoyed. Not only had she been invited out by friends like a normal person. She was being invited to not a fancy place but a local restaurant, at night, for dinner, with friends. This was a truly a dream come true.

She saw her friends walking towards the restaurant about a block or two away form the destination and she instantly instructed her driver to pull over the car. The look of surprise on her friends faces as she got out of the car was one she never got sick of, Surprise and happiness that she was there, that she belonged.

"You could have met us there, gotten us a good table or something" Mio pointed out after their usual greetings had concluded.

"I wanted to walk with you guys" Mugi answered as if it were obvious.

"I missed you so much in the club room today" Yui pouted.

"She missed your sweets is what she means." Azusa corrected her.

"Don't be too jealous Azunyan" She said as she gave Azusa a peck on the cheek.

"I-I'm not" Azusa mumbled back, flushed. Ritsu watched their interaction with mild amusement but it had a pang of something else that she couldn't quite pick in that moment, It wasn't pleasant though, She looked over to Mio absentmindedly and tried not to think about it, despite the fact she had now figured out it was jealousy, a relationships he wished she had with Mio. She quickly dispelled the thoughts.

"We should get going." Mio said rather hurriedly as she shivered. It was pretty cold out that night Ritsu figured. The group continued towards the restaurant as Yui and Azusa caught Mugi up on the happenings of the afternoon, Azusa comparably way more dissapointed than Yui of the outcome.

They arrived at the restaurant pretty early in the evening so there were plenty of seats to chose from, Ritsu went straight for a booth tailed closely by Yui who dragged a stumbling Azusa behind her.

"Why are you set on this booth" Azusa stuttered as she tried not to fall over by Yui's surprisingly strong grip.

"Here's perfect now we have a nice and short walk to the counter but its tucked away slightly with a window so we're not boxed in." Yui explained and Ritsu nodded as if they were on the same wavelength.

"This is a lovely place, It's perfect!" Mugi chirped as she sat down with Mio on the other side of the table, eyes sparkling.

"You really enjoy these sorts of places don't you" Azusa said as she untangled her hand from Yui's to grab a menu that was currently being supplied by the waiter.

"Why wouldn't I it's fun!" Mugi supplied joyously, a smile making its way to the other girls as they drifted their attention to the menus. It wasn't long before conversation started again, but this time there were two who weren't exactly comfortable with it.

"I never noticed how shiny your watch was Mugi" Yui pointed out mid-conversation.

"Its Ruby" She explained, The watches generally came in the shape of a metal or gem, Now this was purely aesthetic and soulmates didn't necessarily have to match as no two watches were exactly the same, This being said, many soulmates did end up having similar watches like Yui and Azusa who both had some kind of strawberry quartz variant.

"Maybe it glows brighter the closer you are to finding your soulmate" Yui guessed and Both Ritsu and Mio glanced down at their watches instinctively. 'If only' Mio thought as her Sapphire watch hung at her wrist.

"Oh no its not nearly close enough a time for something like that to start happening!" Mugi waved her off as Yui gave her a smile, Ritsu hoped their food would arrive soon before she was asked how long she had left.

"Is anyone close to running out of time though?" Mugi said trying to open up conversation with the rest of the table. Ritsu and Mio to be exact given the question can't really apply to the other two. 'Too late' Ritsu said as she looked towards the kitchens in vain. She forced a smile.

"No I still got some time left on my wrist. Plenty in fact." She said in a chipper tone that was hopefully convincing, though it should be she's been doing it for a while now.

"S-same" Mio responded with a neutral tone that only Ritsu could tell was a facade, the others didn't know about the predicament Mio and Ritsu were in. After primary school they promised to keep it to themselves, after all, Having a zeroed timer without a soulmate isn't something to brag about and she can only say for herself but Ritsu didn't want anyone's pity, she could really only share with someone who was in her position she figured.

"A-anyway tomorrow we really need to practice" Azusa blurted out sensing that it was time for a topic change. The conversation flowed easier with the topic change as the food was brought out shortly after. Ritsu gave the occasional glance at Mio to make sure she was alright. It wasn't like she wasn't going to be they've dealt with this quite a bit before, however, she still felt the need to check up on her best friend and found that Mio was doing the exact same thing.

To say she was touched would be an understatement.

To say she wanted to do more than express gratitude in that moment was also an understatement.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

* * *

It was well into the next day that Mio realized she was still thinking about the previous night and if she was being completely honest with herself she probably knew for a while but didn't want to admit it. Its not like Ritsu left her mind for long anyway. She had to say it was rather odd; being attracted to someone who wasn't her soulmate... By all accounts if she didn't have a timer it might seem like she was Ritsu's soulmate; when Ritsu smiled, she ended up smiling, at least on the inside, when Ritsu was pained, she was pained. It would be immensely simpler if there were no such thing as soulmate timers... Well, no it wouldn't, but then at least she could _pretend_ to have a shot with Ritsu.

She shook her head to dispel her thoughts and focused her head to the front of the classroom, It seems she only just started paying attention in time because less than a minute later she was called on to answer a question, which she answered correctly of course. However, her timely attention didn't last long as she glanced around the room to spot Ritsu giving her a silent and sarcastic clap from across the room. She wanted to stick out her tongue at the drummer but she'd bring way too much attention to herself given the class looked at her when she answered the question. The sly glance at Ritsu took its toll however, and once again her mind circulated around her best friend of a dozen or so years.

She shouldn't be thinking of her friend this way, she tells herself this every time she looses focus, but it never works, because she'd allowed herself the guilty pleasure of getting lost in thought so many times that the guilt was way weaker then the rest of her mind by the time she even noticed she was doing it. Her mind once again was lingering on dinner, the forced smile and the pained look in Ritsu's eyes when her future soulmate was brought up. Mio hated that look, Ritsu's determination not to bring anyone else down with her sorrow, the pain she hid so well to all but Mio. She was honestly blessed to have Ritsu as a friend and she wanted nothing more than to assure Ritsu would find her soulmate.

Jealousy was hardly a thought that crossed her mind. Of course when she first started thinking about Ritsu and her soulmate envy used to creep up her spine. However now she only wished that her soulmate could do what Mio couldn't and that was give Ritsu the partner she clearly deserved. She forced her thoughts out of their self-depreciating spin and decided to focus on the more happier thoughts that Ritsu could bring. (As anything non-Ritsu related was far too much of an ask by now.)

For example how does she manage to be so alluring... And cute... And charming or any other given word that is a synonym of attractive. In the meantime, while Mio was enjoying her Ritsu-Induced coma it would appear that time had pushed the fast forward button and the lunch bell had already gone off, not that Mio noticed of course. She was halfway through a sentence about how Ritsu would look good pinned to the ground in her school uniform when she registered someone had called her. It was Mugi, it was also the third time she tried to get her attention but that was a minor detail.

"Y-Yes?" She said bashfully trying to get the rather defiant thought of Ritsu underneath her out of her mind. Mugi looked slightly worried due to the fact Mio had seemingly been spacing out all day, Mio knew she really needed to get a handle on this, She'd been crushing on her friend for how long now? Ten years?

"I was asking if I could eat here with you." Mugi stated, she was holding her lunch in her hand, "Yui ran off saying she had to do something in secret. She also dragged off Ritsu. I think it's probably for the two year anniversary and she wants to surprise Azusa..." Mugi smiled as a tinge of pink dusted her cheeks, Mio briefly wondered what the two year anniversary of her and Ritsu would be li-

"Of Course!" She said cutting off her train of thought before she spaced out again. Mugi smiled brightly and sat down. While Mio retrieved her lunch she debated herself on whether she should let Mugi know an inkling of her troubles, The girl did seem to be very for... that kind of thing. She returned and sat down next to Mugi who was already getting stuck into her meal.

"So, uh, Mugi I have a hypothetical question for you." Mio began, watching as Mugi looked up from her meal, eyes sparkling, she could almost _feel_ the excitement radiating of the blonde across from her. "Of course, i'll do my very best to answer!" Mugi beamed. This was probably the first time she was asked something like this.

"Well," Mio said before taking a deep breath in and out to calm herself. "Say there was a situation where something that isn't necessarily bad happens but it shouldn't happen because it should in theory be impossible, what if that thing wanted to do something that should also not be possible, It's impossible to think that it could actually happen... right?" She explained, or rather rambled, vaguely. She took a chunk out of her sandwich and chewed as she waited for Mugi's response. Instead of just being confused it seems that Mugi was somehow able to follow her explanation, whether it was because she was hanging on every word or because she was just extremely perceptive was unknown.

"Well, If the first thing should have been impossible but happened anyway then believing the second impossible thing can happen isn't that big of a jump don't you think?" Mugi mused. Mio swallowed and then shrugged. "I guess." Mio said hesitantly.

"May I ask if this is something you want to do?" Mugi asked and then quickly tacked on "Forgive me if I'm probing too much" She finished. Mio withdrew and tried to subdue a blush that was threatening to spread across her face. "Uh, No, no it's a family member who was in this s-situation and I wanted to help them out and stuff." Mio babbled. Mugi seemed to buy it as she did not ask any further. "I see." Mugi said as she took another bite from her meal and Mio did the same, they sat there in silence for a minute as they ate until Mugi finished her mouthful to say some more.

"Did they consider if the 'impossible' thing was in fact 'impossible?' or is it simply unlikely?" Mugi inquired, Mio thought about it for a bit. Falling for people who aren't a soulmate is indeed possible, but its rarely potent, and usually unrequited. in the even more unlikely event that both parties have indeed fallen for each other and aren't soulmates it's still pretty much a doomed relationship as nobody can really top a soulmate. Its not impossible for it to happen she figured, but it was impossible for it to work out. Right?

She was brought out of her thoughts by Mugi snapping her lid back on to a container. Mio quickly smiled and decided to make more headway with her own lunch, thoughts still bouncing around the idea of whether it was even possible for her and Ritsu to have anything more than friends between them.

-0-

Meanwhile, Ritsu finally managed to get Yui to slow down after she had grabbed her hand and all but dragged her out of the classroom and down the hall. "Woah, Yui what's happening, where are we going?" Ritsu questioned as Yui finally turned to her.

"Azusa said your timer was broken and we need to fix it!" Yui said a little too loudly as it drew a few peoples attention, Ritsu, besides being incredibly confused was also a bit flustered. "I don't know what you're talking about?" Ritsu tried to placate her determined friend but Yui was having none of it.

"Azunyan can explain it better than me, trust me she's good with these things." Yui said returning to her mission of ripping Ritsu's arm off by means of storming down the hallway. Ritsu decided that Azusa probably _would_ explain 'it' better and also the little detail of what the hell was happening. Her timer wasn't broken it was just zeroed, but there was literally no way for Azusa to know that, and even then, it's still not broken. They made it to the entrance of Azusa's classroom before many of the students had even sat down to eat lunch, Yui, contrary to her usual demeanor was not wasting time however.

"Azunyan! I have brought Ricchan!" Yui said as if that was going to explain anything. Azusa, who was sitting at a table with both Jun and Ui looked towards the entrance, utterly confused, A mouthful of rice still halfway to her mouth. "Why?" Azusa asked. "Not that it isn't always great to see you Ritsu, I'm just confused as to why you were brought here." She corrected herself. So it seems this was all in Yui's head. Maybe Ritsu could make it back without any further issue... Her hope was in vain.

"You said her wrist was broken!" Yui defended herself. Azusa's eyes widened in realization as others looked on in bewilderment.

"So. Is it?" Jun asked.

"No!" Ritsu said shaking her wrist free of Yui.

"Then why does Yui think it's broken?" Ui asked, Head slightly tilted.

"Haven't the foggiest" Ritsu affirmed. Azusa packed up her lunch and took both Yui and Ritsu out of the classroom away from the questioning eyes that dotted the room. As soon as they had relative privacy Azusa twisted back around, set on Yui.

"Yui I did not say it was broken, I also said to not spread it around." Azusa snapped, This is probably the first time Ritsu has seen Azusa genuinely angry at Yui, Yui pouted and tried to defend herself.

"I didn't spread it, I took Ricchan and took her directly to you, You said it was pained or something! I just wanted to help." Yui explained and Azusa sighed at her girlfriends naivety. At Ritsu's questioning Look Azusa finally clarified.

"I said your timer's probably a sore spot for you." She said eyes downcast. 'Oh.' Ritsu thought rather eloquently given the situation. It seems Azusa figured out, at least part of, her situation.

"Ah... Catch that did you?" Ritsu forced a smile.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

* * *

Ritsu shuffled uncomfortably, Yui had dragged her off at the very beginning of lunch so they had at least half an hour left. She did not want to have this conversation now. Azusa scratched her cheek as she thought of how to proceed.

"Y-Yes I, I figured something was wrong by how quickly you tried to change the topic." Azusa explained as Ritsu berated herself inwardly for being so transparent. Yui watched on slightly confused but staying silent as to not anger her girlfriend further. "And you told Yui?" Ritsu questioned in a neutral tone, she wasn't particularly thrilled that Azusa's first instinct was to tell somebody else but at this point she just wanted to gauge the girls reaction. Azusa grimaced and Yui shrugged.

"I see now that wasn't the best move, I'm sorry." She bowed slightly to affirm her sincerity. "Hey!" Yui responded. "I'm Trustworthy!" She defended. Azusa glared at her half-halfheartedly. Ritsu rolled her shoulders back uncomfortably and tried for a casual tone. "So umm, I left my lunch back near homeroom so can we just sweep this under the rug and not talk about it?" Ritsu said inching back towards the stairwell, she knew she was running away from the situation but she didn't want to deal with this now, Azusa however had other ideas

"We can't just pretend this didn't happen Ritsu, I know, You know I know so we're going to talk about it, albeit in a more private area than this, But I don't want things to be awkward so we're going to come to some sort of understanding okay? I don't want to pry any more than I have too so you don't have to tell me the specifics but I don't want to tip toe around this issue." Azusa issued straightforwardly. She wasn't one to mince her words Ritsu reasoned, after a second of getting 'the Azusa glare' that stopped even Yui in her tracks she sighed.

"Fine, We'll meet somewhere after school and say we can't go to club." Ritsu suggested and she could tell Yui was about to ask if she could come too but Azusa was quicker to speak.

"Oh no, no we're not skipping club. We're going to practice and then after that we're going to talk." Azusa said resolute, Ritsu raised an eyebrow at this girls borderline obsession with practice but Ritsu wasn't really in any position to contest someone with an actual work ethic. "If we must." She groaned, she just wanted to get this over with. Azusa nodded at their agreement and turned heel to head back to class.

"Ill come up with something to tell Jun and Ui, you two head back and Yui don't breathe a word of this okay? I'll see you after school." She said without pausing to turn around as she entered her classroom. The two seniors stood there for a few seconds in relative silence as a few people passed them here and there. Ritsu sighed once more and turned to Yui.

"Come on Yui, lets head back and hope club goes as painlessly as possible." She said downtrodden, Yui didn't follow for a few seconds and Ritsu turned back once she heard Yui hum in thought. "You go back to class, I'll convince Azusa to skip club." She proposed confidently. "And how do you plan to do that? Azusa is two parts cat and three parts band practice." Ritsu explained vaguely to try and describe Azusa's personality. Yui winked and smiled brightly.

"I have my ways, If I can get close I have a chance, Wish me luck!" Yui beamed in her ever ever contagious enthusiasm, It even lifted Ritsu out of some of her low spirits. She didn't wait for encouragement as she took off almost running towards Azusa's classroom which managed to draw a smile from Ritsu. "Good luck soldier." Ritsu mumbled to herself.

-0-

Mugi was fairly certain her talk had helped her friend, she seemed to be spacing out in thought rather than the semi wistful look she had before. Whatever it is she hoped Mio would figure it out, She wasn't entirely sure what the bassist's troubles were but she guessed it probably wasn't something to do with a family member. Mugi wasn't going to push it though, It was soon after their talk that Ritsu rejoined them in her usual happy demeanor. Yui hadn't dragged her off for the anniversary it seemed as apparently Yui wasn't returning with her as she was with Azusa. Ritsu wouldn't say what she _had_ been dragged off for either. She didn't plan on asking given Ritsu was getting stuck into her lunch and she felt she shouldn't ask.

Mugi wasn't usually the most socially aware, but she hoped she was getting a grasp on reading her friends, life without much interaction with people her age for most of her life left her wanting in the 'friends interaction' department. However, Through work and dedication for friendship she's managed to overcome most of her short-fallings. That's why when she picked up that Ritsu was acting just a little _too_ happy during lunch she knew something was wrong, But couldn't help but be happy that she was attuned enough to someone else to actually pick that up.

She knew she shouldn't feel that way but she couldn't help it. She looked to Mio to confirm this feeling and the way Mio was looking at Ritsu then back to her confirmed her suspicions. She brought her hand up below her chin and placed a thumb in front of her lips as she thought about how to begin trying to help, she didn't want to just blurt out that Ritsu was being too happy she didn't think that would go down too well, However there wasn't really a polite way to say it was there? She could just ask whats wrong but Ritsu would likely pretend she's fine. She received a signal from Mio that caught her eye, once Mio had her attention she shook her head slightly, not to alert Ritsu but to tell Mugi not to say anything.

It seemed that Mio must have had some clue as to what it was about, if that was the case she didn't need to overstep her boundaries. She wanted to help not cause trouble after all. She nodded back at Mio and replaced her expression with a pleasant smile and began conversation about something she was definitely looking forward too.

"So, Are we planning anything for Azusa's and Yui's Anniversary?" She began watching as the two girls considered her words. "Isn't it something they usually do for each other? It's not like a birthday or anything. I don't think we should really do much unless one of them asks us to." Mio replied. Mugi frowned slightly, she had assumed that friends held a party or something for their friends anniversary, Was that more of a ten year anniversary thing? Maybe she was being a bit hasty.

"Oh, Well in that case should we ask if they want anything done?" She suggested but Ritsu shook her head. "I think its best to wait until asked, I think they'd want to plan it themselves if anything." Ritsu supplied. There wasn't time to discuss it further as the final lunch bell went off and they began to pack up ready for the final period. So much for that idea, she couldn't help but be a little bummed by her idea getting shut down. She shook her head of those thoughts as she prepared for the final lesson of the day.

-0-

It was nearing the end of class. Ritsu, for once in her life wanted class to go on forever, an idea that would have made her past self of maybe two hours ago scream in outrage and probably try for a good old fashioned homicide (Or... Suicide?). But unfortunately time likes to go as fast as a rocket propelled hummingbird on six injections of coffee right when you want it to slow down so before she even realized it, not only was the final class over, but she was already on her way to the closest fast food joint where she would meet up with Azusa and Yui.

She got the message that Yui had succeeded through a written letter in class passed too her secretly, ignoring the curious and partially concerned look from Mio she waved her off and pretended to go back to her work. Which probably wasn't the most inconspicuous thing to do considering she'd rarely be so studious in class unless a test was coming up. It was only realized in hindsight as she walked to her destination, Yui said to not wait up as she was going to grab Azusa and drag her there if 'necessary'. That wording partly made Ritsu worry for the younger girls safety but she couldn't be concerned for long as she got a text, she flipped open her phone to read the contents within. It was from Mio.

'Why aren't you coming 2 club, Furthermore why isn't Azusa and Yui coming either?'

Well she completely forgot to tell Mio. Umm... Whoops? She'd have to figure out a cover story with Azusa and Yui when they arrived, for now she just needed to stall, which was pretty easy given it was over text.

'Ill tel u later. Its nothin 2 worry bout. more cake n t for u tho ;P' She wrote back.

She looked up form her phone to avoid walking straight into the glass door of the fast food restaurant. Avoiding that close call and suddenly being hyper aware of her surroundings, She held open the door for another couple as they entered just behind her as she began to absentmindedly scout for a spot to sit. She opted for the second floor and as far back as possible, mostly for her psychological comfort rather than the risk of actually being seen or anything.

It wasn't long before Azusa and Yui arrived, Azusa searched the second floor for her as Yui whispered something in her ear looking flustered she scolded her partner and doubled her efforts to find Ritsu, she was succesful. Azusa made a beeline for Ritsu's table as soon as she was spotted. Good, At least Azusa's straightforward attitude would mean this would be over fairly quickly. She didn't even know exactly what they were going to talk about, just that Azusa had caught on to her watch at the very least being zeroed.

"Good afternoon Ritsu" Azusa greeted her as she sat down, Yui saluted in either greeting or in reference to her victory with Azusa and club Ritsu was a bit unsure. She took her seat right next to Azusa as Ritsu greeted them both in return with a nod. "Hey" Ritsu received simply. There was an awkward silence as nobody knew how to start. Yui distracted herself by looking at the menu so there was an awkward stare down between Ritsu and Azusa that neither were particularly enthused to win.

"So." Ritsu began as words failed to form on her tongue. "So." Azusa mimicked, clearly having a similar dilemma. "Uhh, So tell me what you know or have guessed or whatever first so we know where to start" Ritsu prompted, she only had a rough idea of what Azusa knew. "I'm guessing that you're timer is zeroed for one reason or another, or you somehow loathe your soulmate" Azusa elaborated. Ritsu grimaced at the first part of the sentence, she hadn't really thought much about the second part however, It's not like she loathed her soulmate, because they were perfect for her weren't they?

"The first part is pretty much it. I must have seen them but by the time I checked my timer for it they would have been long gone." She explained dejectedly. Yui put down her menu as Azusa looked away from her eyes, there was a resigned sadness there that she didn't want to see in the usually upbeat girl. "A-at least they're existing." Azusa tried. "They can find you instead, it's not like you were born with the zeros, you still have a good chance!" Azusa comforted, they were all words she'd heard before. While they were true and helpful, the amount of times they'd been said has watered down its effect considerably.

"Yeah I know." She replied, there was then, of course, the issue that she was in love with Mio and the thought of someone else being with her felt like it was ripping at her very soul. Hypothetically, she could see her soulmate and forget she even had a thing for Mio, it'd be like it never happened. Right? Her soulmate would be better than Mio so she might as well forget her right? ' _I don't want to forget about Mio'_ An admittedly large and resolute part of her protested. Who even was this 'soulmate' of hers anyway? Like, why are they entitled to her love and not Mio? What right has this asshole got to claim that she should be with them without even being there for her at all like Mio has? Her soulmate was going to supposedly just waltz into her life, invalidate her feelings for Mio because they were her 'soulmate' and then what? They'd live happily ever after? Well, Maybe she did hate her soulmate a tad.

"Does anybody else know?" Azusa asked as she directed her attention to the menu in an attempt to keep the atmosphere somewhat afloat. Ritsu scratched the back of her neck as her face reddened slightly. "j-just Mio." She muttered. Yui tilted her head at the bashful response. "Mio knows?" She questioned. "Yeah, she's been there for me and she's been amazing and stuff, Helped me a lot. I owe her quite a bit." Ritsu rambled, she didn't want to tell them that Mio also had a zero'd timer and was in virtually the same position because that was for Mio to say and not her.

However, now that she was getting this information out in the open, opposed to what she previously thought, she actually felt she wanted to tell them more. Not about Mio having a zeroed timer but about her situation, they were her friends after all and she did trust them. She'd already gone this far, what was stopping her now? Hell maybe the two could even help her, Azusa more than Yui but the brunette did have a history of having the occasional good idea. He heart sped up as she thought of spilling the beans and she tried to begin mustering up courage.

"Uh, There's one more thing I think I have to tell you." She said her voice almost cracking, her blush had deepened and was now unabashedly radiating from her contrarily bashful face. "Uhm, Yes?" Was all Azusa could say as they watched their usually confident club president struggle valiantly to get words out through a tongue tied mouth. "The thing is, I'm... I." Ritsu struggled to push out the words, it was just one damn sentence. They stood there in awkward silence as Ritsu tried again.

"I have, I" She stuttered, Why was this so hard? Maybe she was going from this at the wrong angle. Maybe she should tell them not to worry about it and try again later. "I've fallen for Mio." The words had left her mouth before she even registered she'd said it.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

* * *

Azusa had a very... _interesting_ first meeting with her soulmate, it was in her first week of high school, when she was deciding what club she would join. She attended the freshman welcome concert after a girl who she believed was named Ui had asked her to come. They were currently walking on their way there as she looked down at her wrist, she tried to calm her nerves.

 _'One minute_ ' it read as she flushed, it was that close already? Time was flying before her eyes, she would likely see them in that concert hall. She would have to make sure that she looked straight in one direction to make sure she didn't miss them in the sea of people. She would probably know who her soulmate was before she looked back down anyway. It was likely someone studious, someone serious and down to earth but passionate about music. That is what she always imagined her soulmate would be like, Someone like her. She dutifully checked her watch every few seconds on her approach just so she was certain of when it would happen.

' _Thirty second's_ ' She felt her heart begin to race as one of the biggest changes in her life was about to surface, Ui had seemed to catch on pretty quickly to her circumstances as the girl was checking her watch every few seconds and looking around frantically. She didn't say anything however as they continued their approach to the concert hall.

 _'Ten seconds_ ' They made it to the foyer, they were definitely in the concert hall, an audience member? A performer? she was about to find out.

' _Five seconds_ ' She tried not to tense as Ui opened the concert hall door.

' _Three seconds_ ' She closed her eyes as she entered behind Ui and counted the last seconds down, when she opened her eyes, She would see them.

She opened her eyes looking dead ahead at the stage. There were several girls on the stage, they looked like they had just finished a song. But the one her eyes had locked onto was no doubt her soulmate, Double checking she looked down at her wrist. There were all zeroes. She looked back up at her soulmate, the lead guitarist. that was one point in the direction of her ideal soulmate, things were looking up.

The girl didn't even seem nervous, there was no sign that the performer on stage was worried about meeting their soulmate. She had a relaxed smile as they introduced their next, and unfortunately final song. Azusa did like the sound of her voice, it sounded... 'cute' was the word she would describe. She shook her head to focus on the music, this soulmate thing was powerful and distracting. At least her counterpart looked like the focused type.

Maybe she had mistaken the lead guitarists nerves as it seems she blanked on the first line of the lyrics, Hence the bassist took over, She looked at her soulmate ease back into the vocals as the second half of the verse approached, they adapted pretty well to that mishap, her soulmate must be thinking about her timer or something, she couldn't blame her, or maybe she had already seen Azusa and lost focus. Her face heated up at this but she discarded it as the girl hadn't looked down to her wrist at all.

Azusa was able to focus more on the music after some effort, trying not to blatantly check out the girl onstage and upon success she noticed she was instinctively tapping her foot to the music. She could see herself in this band, she was considering the Jazz club but she liked the vibes this band gave off ( _And the fact her soulmate was also in the ban-_ ) she let herself get taken away by the soft voice and the swaying music, she felt happy. Things were looking up for her at this high school, She was going to have a fruitful time learning all about music from her band and soulmate, they would go on music dates to concerts and maybe sneak in some sweets. She hoped her soulmate likes sweets, they were her weakness.

Her nerves once again surfaced when she entered the club room for the first time, she had to state that she wanted to join the club, and also state that she was Yui's soulmate, She learned the name from Ui, the girls younger sister surprisingly. There were seconds of silence as the group processed her words. Yui, her soulmate, tilted her head and then shot upright as if realizing something, looked down at her wrist, and then back up to her.

As it turned out, her soulmate did in fact like sweets.

But what would happen if she missed her that day? Would they still have found each other? In hindsight Yui probably wouldn't have realized she was her soulmate first unless someone nailed 'Yui's soulmate' to her forehead. What would have happened? Her timer would be zeroes and she would have nobody to show for it. That thought scared her because complain as she may, Yui was everything she didn't know she needed.

She was definitely thrown off in their first few weeks. It shattered her image of who her soulmate was, it was not like she imagined. Yui was clumsy, unfocused and fairly lazy. Contrary to Azusa's preconceived notion of who her soulmate ought to be. This being said, Yui was also sweet, caring and when she wanted to be, very lively, her clumsiness became less annoying as time went on and more endearing, her unfocused and unmotivated demeanor became more of a halfhearted shake of the head then a hindrance to Azusa herself, and Yui did something for Azusa that she wouldn't usually see as a benefit, she helped her relax.

Yui was definitely the relaxation yin to her workaholic yang and she knew she'd be lesser without it. Which is why she felt so heartbroken for Ritsu when she explained that she had zeroed timers but she _hand't found them_. Naturally she planned to help as much as possible, with a little interference from Yui. What really threw her into the loop was when Ritsu stated that she had fallen for Mio, someone who is not her soulmate.

She sat across from the drummer, gaping at what she just said, the girl herself trying not to combust as she noticed she had in fact said the words she had kept hidden for so long. If Azusa were being honest, for the first week of her joining the club, she had thought the two _were_ soulmates. But after proper introductions she figured it was not the case and they were just close friends... It seemed that at least part of her intuition was not wrong.

"O-Oh." Azusa stuttered out, she had not foreseen this. The usually upbeat drummer was a deep red and hiding her head in her hands. A bitter laugh came from across the table.

"'Oh' indeed." Ritsu replied as she avoided eye contact with the two sitting across from her. There was silence for a few moments before it was broken by Yui "How long have you felt this way?" The brunette asked, uncharacteristically serious, Azusa regretted forcing Ritsu to say all this out loud, this was her selfishness that brought her friend to this. Ritsu sighed at the question that was posed and finally looked up from her hands. "A while." She admitted. Azusa began immediately brainstorming of ways to make sense of this convoluted situation.

"Does she know?" Azusa asked and Ritsu frowned. "Do you think this would have been so hard for me if she did? She's my best friend, and not my soulmate." Ritsu replied, She brought her hand to her temple as she tried to control her furious blush and force it down as Yui tilted her head at the answer. "How do you know that? If she doesn't know you're zeroed then she may have a timer that is zero too an-" Yui began and Ritsu cut her off. "No she knows I have a zeroed timer she doesn't know I'm in love with her." She blurted out and her fight with her blush failed miserably when she realized she had said it again.

Azusa was torn, She'd always been in the camp that said 'if they're not your soulmate then there's no point trying. No matter how much you _think_ you love them your soulmate would always be a better option'. But seeing Ritsu like this and thinking about her and Mio it just seemed to fit, she had no advice to help her friend, she could provide comfort and support if it was just her timer being on zero but Ritsu was hung up on a girl that evidently wasn't hers to have. She didn't know where to go from here.

"I see." Yui responded, "And you're sure it wasn't her that you saw? It makes sense that Mio would be your soulma-" Yui mused but Azusa was the one to cut her off this time. "Yui!" She snapped feeling it would only upset Ritsu more but the girl held her hand up to Azusa. "No its fine." She said before turning her attention to Yui. "I saw my soulmate years before I met Mio, You can be sure of that." Ritsu said shutting the girl down softly, Yui finally gave up on her interrogation as Ritsu scratched behind her neck awkwardly as the three sat there, not knowing what to say.

"So.. What now?" She asked, where did they go from here? What did they do now? "Can we order?" Yui answered her question with a question. Azusa face palmed as Ritsu laughed at Yui's ever stirring stomach, trust Yui to bring them back onto a semi-normal path within seconds of being lost. She could do this, it was Yui and Azusa, her friends... She could do this.

-0-

Mio was lying on her bed staring up at her phone. Something was up with Ritsu, even Mugi picked it up... She wasn't even sure what 'it' was but it was definitely there. If she were being honest she couldn't help but feel a little hurt that her best friend wasn't telling her, they told each other everything, well _almost;_ Given Mio hadn't told Ritsu she was in love with her. However, the fact remained that Ritsu wasn't telling her about something that was clearly troubling her, and furthermore Azusa and Yui were involved. Maybe it was something those two asked her not to spread? What could it possibly be?

She let her phone fade to black for a moment before she decided to wake it a second later and enter to her messages. She looked over the last ones Ritsu sent her as she tapped the side of the phone in thought. Eventually she figured out what she wanted to say and rolled onto her stomach to type.

' _Are you home?_ ' She started, not the best but it was something. She stared at her phone as the response didn't come instantly. She realized she'd let her eyes droop as her mobile lit up with a notification.

' _nah stil out atm'_ It read, Mio groaned to herself, She would question Ritsu later on what she was doing out at this moment, she decided she needed to focus on something besides Ritsu, easier said than done for her. She propelled herself off her bed and aimed for her schoolbag, she could distract herself with having dinner and homework, perfect. She realized pretty soon that it wasn't perfect, it couldn't even be labeled 'functional' either. But it was something to do and it kept her mind more occupied that it would be if she was _exclusively_ thinking of Ritsu. That was of course, right until Ritsu messaged her later that she was home and all her hard work was flushed down the drain in a heartbeat.

She scrambled, no really, scrambled, almost falling over in the process on her short but apparently perilous journey to the bed where her phone was located. She unlocked it and checked her messages.

' _Iiiim_ _Home! did u miss me? U missed me i bet u ran 4 ur phon as soon as u knew it was from me_ ' Ritsu had typed. The last thing Mio was going to do was tell her she was _right._

' _No, actually you interrupted me in the middle of a fascinating text conversation with Mugi, Which is more than you could ever offer :p.'_ She retorted, and awaited reply.

' _Mio ur such a bitch :(... Watevs say what u will I know u love me_ ' Ritsu texted back less than a minute later. Ritsu should stop being unintentionally right, it doesn't suit her.

' _Well, I've got some unfortunate news for that part that of you that thinks you know..._ ' She thought that was an acceptable response, playful enough to mask her hopefully-not-too blatant yearning. She inhaled as she waited for a response, she'd have to steer the topic back to what Ritsu was hiding shortly, because she was going to get the answer to why Ritsu is hiding something from her at the very least if not what is actually bothering her. She looked away just as her phone buzzed and she snapped her eyes back to the screen.

' _Well aren't u a heart-breaker... Anyway I already kno wats on ur mind, and im gona tell u now i cant tel u wats wrong. u kno i wuld tell u if i culd but ur gona have to trust me on this, please mio._ ' Ritsu texted, Well that explained why it took longer than the rest of her messages, Mio briefly wondered how Ritsu could read her so well without even being in the same room, let alone the same building as her.

' _Can you tell me why you can't tell me? I can't help but worry you know.'_ She wrote back without hesitation. Her answer was also prompt as she was still reading over her own text for typos as the next one came in.

' _Sorry, that'd be saying 2 much. Pls don't worry about me tho, im fine.'_ It read. Mio sighed as she turned her phone onto standby and rolled to her side on her bed. When was Ritsu going to learn? Mio always worried about her.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

* * *

"So what are you guys doing for the school festival?" Azusa asked jovially. Yui had evidently already forgotten so Mugi stepped in to answer. "We're doing Romeo and Juliet, although we've yet to designate parts. We're holding a vote!" Mugi clapped excitedly. No doubt a school play was on her wishlist of things she wanted to experience. Ritsu shook her head bemusedly at Mugi's antics, She had been spending the whole time of club today on edge after that confession to Azusa and Yui last night. Not to mention Mio knows somethings up and that was not exactly a good thing however just being with her friends like this helped calm her down.

"Oh that's pretty decisive of your class. We've decided on a cafe but we don't know what we're making or what we're wearing yet." Azusa commented, She was determined to make Ritsu feel as if nothing had changed. Because in reality it shouldn't be that big of a deal, they were friends, they told each other personal things that they trusted each other with. It was just, this was _huge_ , its something that would happen in movies or more aptly in the very play class three-two were doing. Romeo and Juliet, soul-crossed lovers, two people who weren't soulmates on their timers but in their hearts. Of course that analogy would be more accurate if Mio also loved Ritsu but that didn't appear to be the case. Regardless, she didn't want Ritsu feeling awkward because of her prying.

"If you don't know what to wear, you could always go for" Yui began to pitch in but Azusa didn't let her finish. "I'm not wearing cat ears or a maid costume... Hopefully." She predicted, Yui's pout was all she needed to see to affirm that prediction, it was cute however. "A-anyway Romeo and Juliet is an older play any reason why you picked it?" She said fighting a blush.

"No real reason, The class just seemed to want something well known." Mio shrugged. Ritsu's face darkened deviously. "Maybe they want to get Mio on stage as Juliet." She teased and Mio blanched. "Don't say that you'll jinx me!" Mio spluttered back, she took a deep breath to regain her composure at Ritsu's teasing, Azusa didn't know how Ritsu could act so calm around Mio and even tease her, Hell she's sure they've flirted before. Azusa would never be able to keep her cool around Yui, she's a fumbling idiot when it came to her girlfriend, not that she'd ever tell _Yui_ that. She figures however, Ritsu had been doing this for a while now so she'd have some level of composure, that or maybe she isn't _really_ in love with her.

Don't get her wrong, its not like she _doesn't_ believe Ritsu when she says she's in love with Mio, It's just she seems so normal, it seems like they are just friends right now, like they've always been, its so natural for Mio and Ritsu to just be like this together, what would them in a relationship even be like? She realised the table had grown silent after Yui and Mugi stopped giggling and Ritsu had been smacked on the head for snickering. She shook her head, If Ritsu could be so normal about this issue then so could she, she's not going to think about it too hard for once, its something Ritsu needs to figure out on her own.

"Shall we practice?" She said checking her tea cup to make sure it's empty. "Let's." Mio affirmed, standing up and heading over towards their currently disregarded instruments.

-0-

"Mio." A voice called behind her. Mio turned back into the club room she was just exiting to find Mugi looking at her tentatively. The look was rather uncharacteristic of the usually bright happy girl, at least when it came to her so she was a little concerned. "Yes Mugi?" She said stepping aside to let through Yui and Azusa who gave their goodbyes as they passed. Ritsu waited at the top of the stairs for her best friend.

"Can I talk to you for a bit?" Mugi said cautiously eyeing Ritsu who was fiddling with her blazer. Mio caught on to what Mugi wanted, she was going to ask about yesterday. Mio turned to Ritsu before she answered Mugi. "Don't wait up Ritsu. Mugi just needs to talk with me for a bit." She said as Ritsu looked back at her and scratched her cheek. "Okay." Ritsu said simply, Mio realized Ritsu had other things on her mind herself given how quickly she agreed, usually there'd be at least a question as to what they were talking about.

She let sleeping dogs lie regardless and waved goodbye to Ritsu who began down the stairs at a quick pace to catch up with Azusa and Yui. She entered the club-room and closed the door as Mugi was already back at the table, preparing more tea. "Oh, no, Mugi it's fine I don't need more tea." She assured the blonde as she set her things down near the whiteboard and came to take a seat.

"Now what is it you would like to talk about?" Mio asked as Mugi put the recently washed cups back to dry. "Oh, Um, It's about Ritsu, and stuff." Mugi began quietly, it seemed the girl didn't want to pry but was also insanely curious. It was fairly cute Mio gathered. "I figured, what about Ritsu?" Mio asked as she watched Mugi take a seat opposite her, she knew the girl would ask about Ritsu yesterday, she would have to tell her she knew nothing however. The pianist took in a deep breath before speaking.

"Is Ritsu okay?" The girl asked before tacking on. "T-this is about yesterday" she proceeded to clarify.

"I believe so. She hasn't told me anything but I'm sure its fine." Mio answered her. She tried not to sound hurt at the prospect of her best friend not telling her everything, but of course her friend would have things she didn't tell her and expecting Ritsu to be completely open with her about everything all the time would be an exceedingly unfair expectation. Not to mention it would make her a hypocrite.

"She didn't tell you? I thought you'd know of all people." Mugi mused aloud and it jabbed at Mio's core, the blonde continued on unawares. "The two of you are similar to soulmates in that way, you never seem to leave each others side." She wondered aloud with a smile before realizing she said too much. The words certainly had their effect however.

"Like soulmates." Mio repeated before Mugi burst out in apology. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable I just see you two as... Well... Without the other it just wouldn't make sense I feel..." Mugi tried to justify before falling silent at Mio's expression. "I'm sorry" Mugi apologized again as Mio let a sad smile replace her shocked expression. She didn't know why but she didn't feel embarrassed in this moment, maybe it was because what Mugi said moved her, or maybe because it was Mugi herself, she felt a strange sense of ease about telling the girl her troubles.

"It's okay Mugi, I... I can see why you interpreted it that way, I get it it's just... that's not the case unfortunately." Mio stated with a solemn finality. Mugi looked her in the eyes as she finished that sentence. "Unfortunately?" Mugi repeated, Mio froze. She hadn't meant for that to come out. It was too late now however as Mugi seemed to begin piecing everything together.

"You asked me yesterday about things that shouldn't be possible... You... Ritsu... Hold on... Mio." Mugi began as she began formulating the question Mio was dreading in her mind. This was not good, she's been too slack. Damn Mugi and her infinitely pleasant demeanor, she'd let her guard down and now everything was about to crumble before her eyes. "Wai-wait that's not what I meant." She began but a look from Mugi silenced her.

"Mio." Mugi said as she seemed she was ready to ask the question Mio knew she would ask but hoped beyond hope was her imagination.

"Are you in love with Ritsu?" She asked.

"Yes." Mio responded without hesitation. Granted, she didn't mean to say it without hesitation. however, by the time Mugi had asked she was freaking out, her mind went blank and she said the first word that came to her mind which was, as one would expect, the answer to the question just asked. Mugi was understandably taken aback both by the answer itself and the sheer confidence in which it was voiced, regardless of her suspicions. There was no wavering on this point, Mio was undeniably in love with her best friend, and now she had said it... Aloud... To someone else... Embarrassment hit her like a truck.

"Oh god." She said as her hands flew up to cover her mouth as if they could shove the words back in, her face reddening dangerously. "I-it's okay" Mugi tried to calm the raven haired girl down as she tried not to hyperventilate. "No. It's not." Mio said as she tried not too break down crying right then and there, she didn't mean for it to come out, she was supposed to deny it, lie to the ends of the earth to keep this a secret from everyone and anyone, why did she tell Mugi? Why did it come out? There was no conceivable reason as to why she would have blurted that out, she didn't want anyone to know, she didn't want anyone to be burdened by this, it was wrong.

Or at least, that's what she had kept telling herself.

A small part of her however, seemingly invisible, had been growing in power lately, that small part of her was tired of it. Done with it all, that small part wanted to through caution to the winds and go for it regardless of whether or not they were soulmates, she just wanted to hold Ritsu, was that too much to ask? 'Yes' the universe would no doubt reply, well to hell with the universe, to hell with everything! That didn't sound like her at all.

She was so confused, nothing made sense, Ritsu was in pain and not telling her why, her feelings were finally reaching the top of the bottle and threatening to burst out and Mugi's gentle prodding had gotten her to spill the one thing she promised herself not to spill, she's not sure how much longer she can keep up her facade. Tears were streaming down her cheeks by now and she didn't even bother to wipe them away. She was brought out of her inner thoughts by Mugi who had gotten her a tissue and got to work wiping away her tears.

"It's okay Mio. It is, Truly, I won't tell anyone. you can trust me." She said with a soft smile that only made Mio cry more at its sincerity. Mio hugged her and let herself cry in earnest. Mugi was patient and kind with the girl, clearly Ritsu wasn't the only one deeply troubled, Mio was struggling herself with a burden she carried alone, that must have been hard. She hoped that finally being able to share that load was at least a small comfort. Mio's tears began to dry as she began to piece together her shattered composure. She pulled back from Mugi who gave her the same soft smile she did before, completely understanding and free of judgment.

"Thanks." Mio said as she wiped the last of her tears away from her eyes. "It's no problem, really, I'm sorry I pushed you too hard." Mugi said down-casting her eyes in guilt. Mio rushed to correct her. "Don't feel guilty, I'm not angry that you found out and if I'm being completely honest with myself..." She paused for a moment, her arm moving over to brace the other self consciously. That small part of her mind was beginning to surface again. "I don't regret telling you, as contradictory as that sounds." She declared as Mugi smiled a bit.

"I'm a little glad you told me as well, even if it was unintentional, I like being trusted, I want to be trusted and I want to help." She replied resolutely. Mio smiled at the girls never ending love of friendship and all its facets. "I'm glad it was you too." Mio admitted watching as the blonde lit up in happiness. It was Mio who was hugged this time, albeit with less tears. Mio returned the hug in kind, it was shorter and lighter than the previous hug but it still helped ease the tension further. There was silence for a minute as they thought of what to say next.

"So... What now?" Mugi asked, Mio stopped and thought about it, what did she want to do now? Continue as if nothing happened? She was getting fairly tired of that, she didn't know what to do. "What... What do you think I should do?" She questioned, getting a second opinion now that she had one wouldn't hurt. Mugi took a moment to think of her answer, she took a deep breath before she spoke.

"I... I think you should tell her." Mugi answered.

"What?" Mio could only gape.

"Well, think about it, she's your best friend, and i'm sure she won't hate you for telling her, sure it may be a little awkward but you two are some of the closest friends ive ever witnessed, hiding your feelings like this is only going to hurt you more in the long run than a little awkwardness in the short term wouldn't you agree? Ignoring the whole soulmates thing." Mugi explained. Mio didn't expect that to come out of the blondes mouth, maybe she was more adept at navigating social situations than everyone gave her credit for. She wasn't on board with the idea just yet however.

"I... I can't, What you said makes sense, it does, but I really don't think I could ever confess to Ritsu, I don't have the guts to ever do something like that." Mio replied, She was met by Mugi humming in thought as Mio shuffled uncomfortably at the idea of confessing to Ritsu. "Maybe you just need the right time and place?" Mugi suggested, well aware of the bassists disposition under pressure.

"M..Maybe" Mio reluctantly agreed, which spurred Mugi on. "Then it's settled, I can brainstorm ideas to get you the right time and place, all that matters now is if you want to tell Ritsu your feelings, whether or not she's your soulmate, whether or not she loves you back, it's up to you." Mugi stated boldly and with surprising tenacity. The small part of Mio that wanted to throw caution to the winds was flaring up now, she'd underestimated it's size, It was no longer a small part of her after all, she must truly be done being a coward when it came to her feelings for Ritsu. She'd already decided long ago she'd walk through a whole field of barnacles if it meant she could stand by Ritsu's side, what was stopping her now?

"I want to confess to Ritsu" Mio voiced to Mugi and herself. She could do this. It was fine. She could do this.


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

* * *

"With that, The leading role of Romeo in Class 3-2's Production of Romeo and Juliet goes to Mio Akiyama" Nodoka said nonchalantly at the front of the class.

Wait... What? Mio's heart sped up and she tried not to have a panic attack. There she was, probably staring holes into the back of Ritsu's head and largely ignoring what was going on at the very front until that information decided to selectively slip through her mental net.

There were words of encouragement and praise that echoed around the room but she couldn't hear them, she was paralyzed with this new information. Romeo and Juliet. Her... Romeo, performing something so well known and not to mention in front of _hundreds._ She felt anything but congratulated in this moment. She felt this had come out of nowhere, yes she registered there was going to be a vote for the school festival. This was a nightmare right? It was definitely a nightmare. Here she had been thinking all week of what Mugi would come up with and of course of Ritsu and all the possible reactions she hadn't taken into account that time does in fact move forward and they were doing a play.

"She's passed out" She heard a familiar voice say. She was taking out of her daze by the very girl who had been plaguing her mind for years now. Ritsu was at her desk, when did that happen. Maybe she really did black out for a few seconds there, She shook the expression from her face and quickly raised her hand. "I-I object" she protested, why was the class suddenly conspiring against her? Why her? Why Romeo?

"What was that Mio?" Nodoka asked innocently, but it was still somehow for some reason intimidating to Mio, she withdrew as embarrassment flushed her face. "Well..." She stalled as she racked her brain for a valid excuse. "I don't think a popular vote is the best way to decide the lead actor." It wasn't the best excuse in the world but it would do. Maybe that would convince her, Nodoka was logical maybe-

"But nobody volunteered and we had no nominations." She answered simply. Shit, she was out of ideas, act on instinct.

"I nominate Ritsu." She tried, it seems throwing her best friend under the bus was her instinct, this piqued Nodoka's attention so she kept going, she had to sell the point after all. "She's energetic, brave, and always practicing pro wrestling moves." Her mouth was moving on its own now, She wasn't sure if this was classed as gushing about her best friend, sacrificing her or having a panic attack but she was willing to admit it was all three.

"H-How is that like Romeo at all?" Ritsu defended, Mio would have found her flustered friend cute if she wasn't desperate to not be Romeo, this being said Ritsu did raise a good point, Romeo wasn't exactly a wrestler. Ritsu wasn't going to stand around passively either, she came back with her argument. "I don't compare to _the_ Mio who is popular enough to have her own fan club." Ritsu teased and Mio blushed further, she _had_ to bring that up didn't she, as if she wasn't embarrassed enough already.

"I get it" Yui said from across the room, and for one second Mio thought she might save her from this mess. "You're Mio, so you're the best fit for Ro-Mio" She reasoned and Mio would not have Yui making puns, now of all times. "Don't be such a smart ass" Mio chastised her. "Aw come on" Ritsu grinned, as she was no longer under threat. "I'll apply your make up the day of performance, With thick purple eye-shadow" Ritsu began, aware she was teasing but falling for it regardless Mio replied. "Are you trying to make me a witch?" She questioned in horror before Ritsu continued. "And I'll be filming the whole thing from the front row." Ritsu finished as Mio blanched, she was fighting a losing battle.

"You've got it easy." Mio resigned to her fate. Ritsu seemed to be having her fun it seems, this was anything but fun for Mio.

"Ritsu." Nodoka addressed the drummer calmly from the front of the class. Mio thought Nodoka would tell her to lay off a bit maybe sensing her apprehension about the whole thing. It was even better however.

"Good luck as Juliet" Nodoka said with an innocent smile, It took a few seconds for Ritsu to register this turn of events, she wasn't happy with it.

"I-I Object!" Ritsu quickly rose her hand in a similar manner to how Mio did, however more resolute. Mio wouldn't let her be hypocritical though. "Your attitude changes the moment you're the one in a predicament. Ritsu didn't seem to hear her. "How can _I_ play Juliet" she emphasized her lack of.. Julietness as a defense. "I can't help it" Nodoka replied simply. "These are the popular vote results." She continued as if she wasn't enjoying this thoroughly.

"There's other people who fit the role better!" Ritsu tried her best to deflect the role, Mio already knew that it was pointless to try, they were doomed.

"Like Mugi!" Ritsu was not giving in however, Mugi, whom had been observing carefully to this point answered candidly. "I'm the scriptwriter, so..." She trailed off as Ritsu got the picture. With her first line of defense she began shooting at random. "Then Ichigo? She's cute like a princess" She tried to soften the deal with a compliment huh? Mio should take notes if this works.

"Hell no" Ichigo replied fiddling with her hair, Okay maybe take a note to _not_ do that as it seemed to have the opposite of a desired effect. "What about Mika? You said you wanted to play a princess!" Ritsu was going to list off everyone in the class before she gave up. "Yeah," There was a spark of hope. "But Mio is playing Romeo." Wait what? Mio thought. "What?" Ritsu asked aloud. What was that supposed to mean?

"Yeah, With Mio as Romeo, who else can play Juliet but Ritsu" Keiko said, Voices of agreement rang out across the room as both Ritsu and Mio looked on in confusion and embarrassment, This was not only unexpected but Mio also felt she would burst because if this happens she's going to be Romeo with _Ritsu_ as her Juliet. it would be funny if it weren't so terrifying.

Ritsu had replied to someone, indignantly but Mio wasn't paying attention, Mugi had caught her eye and the sparkle in it was anything but comforting. "If Ricchan and Mio are playing the leading roles I'll have to rework the script." She decided gleefully. No Mugi, bad, this was the total _opposite_ of what Mio wanted, this was going to be the end of her.

"What are you going to make us do?" Both her and Ritsu said at the same time. Mio's noticeably more concerned. Someone who could easily help them out but was having too much fun for her own good was Nodoka who spoke next. "So, Since we have no objections, we'll start deciding the other roles." She said moving on, She wasn't hearing them out.

"First, The costu-" Nodoka began but she never finished as a very enthusiastic hand shot up. "Me! I volunteer." Said Miss Sawako Yamanaka who was sitting in the front corner, her eyes were neutral to all but the few who knew what this meant. "But I can't ask you to-" Nodoka tried but it was to no avail. "Don't worry, I won't disappoint you" She said with a gentle smile, this was raising red flags left right and center for both Mio and Ritsu alike. So much so that Nobuyo commented on their demeanor's.

This was a catastrophe, worse than a catastrophe, as the attention finally began to shift off of them and on to the other roles Ritsu solemnly returned to her seat as Mio shot Mugi a look who's eyes were still sparkling as she noted down ideas presumably, Mio caught her attention and she simply gave her an encouraging smile and pumped her fists as if this was in any way shape or form something Mio asked for, Like, she asked for a situation to tell Ritsu not a romantic comedy setting.

And what was with the whole class being in on it? Did Mugi tell them and what was the writing down? Why didn't Nodoka help her? How would she survive? Why was she slightly excited? All were incomprehensible mysteries to her. She sat there in a daze for a majority of the day, she barely responded at lunch and it seems Ritsu wasn't faring much better than her, Yui was nowhere to be found and Mugi kept her ever pleasant smile on display as she gently tried to comfort the girl.

-0-

Ritsu had her head in her hands, she had somehow managed to get through to club, Mio was doing even worst than her, she stumbled at least three times on the way to the club-room and if she weren't following Ritsu she'd probably be lost. Azusa had just walked in to what she figured would be a sorry sight of Mio staring existentially into the turtle aquarium and her, completely and utterly confused as to why some idiot would vote her for _Juliet_ like, she could understand a comic relief role or something but _Juliet?_

Her classmates were sadistic.

As Mugi explained the situation Ritsu thought back to what had her struggling through lunch, the fact that Mio would be her love interest. That was enough to make her face heat up in her hands as she desperately thought of something else like... Ah yes, the fact her classmates had voted _Her_ as _Juliet_ which was clearly the dumbest fucking idea to ever exist in the history of dumb fucking ideas. This was about precisely the moment she heard her name brought up in conversation, Mugi had just told Azusa she was Juliet, to which she _laughed._ Which was a relieving sign that she wasn't _too_ caught up on solving her soulmate situation. She still _laughed_ though.

"Go ahead and laugh, See if I care!" She snapped indignantly. It was a dumb idea yes but as her friend Azusa could at least _pretend_ she could ever be in a sappy romance fiction like that.

"I didn't laugh" She said waving her hands dismissively. Yes, Yes she did, actually. She continued. "I was just." She managed before a laugh escaped her again, Okay now Azusa was _teasing_ her. That was her job, thinks because she got _Juliet_ that she's suddenly an easy target, not on her watch. "Nakano" She said emphasizing the last name as she got up and descended upon her junior.

The girls giggling apologies were left unheard as she wrapped her arms around the small girl and as she let out another laugh she put her in a headlock, a wrestling move she practiced and now wishes had convinced Nodoka to make her Romeo. "You're still laughing." She pointed out as Azusa continued apologizing. "Wait, what about Yui?" She asked, halting Ritsu's wrath long enough for her to loosen her grip.

"I'm a tree!" Yui exclaimed before tacking on, "Tree G" She clarified excitedly. Ritsu let Azusa go as she addressed the brunette about the need for at least seven trees. She listened in on the conversation for a bit before Mugi announced she was heading back to the classroom.

"Okay, We'll follow you once Mio settles down." She said to the blonde as she took her leave. "Now." She said vocalizing her thoughts. "We've got to do something about that." She finished turning to her acting counterpart and long time friend.


End file.
